


Ruby eyes

by Midknite



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comfort, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Karaoke, M/M, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 15:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13169883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midknite/pseuds/Midknite
Summary: Hakuryuu is submerged in a spiral of self-pity, but Judar's boredom takes them to a place where he can sing his worries away.





	Ruby eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This fanfic is extremely sappy, proceed with caution.

The sun was setting, the lights of Tokyo started to appear in the incoming darkness. It was a normal Saturday, except for one thing.

I was rejected by a girl three months before that day, her sweet voice was full of sadness when she looked at me and told me she was in love with somebody else. I thought she was the one, I was enraptured by her gentleness and nobility, or was it because it was the logical choice in the plan I had made for myself? I guess I will never know. Being the best friend of the person she loved didn’t help. When they started a relationship, I had to take a break even from him, just for a while. I needed time for picking up and sticking together again the pieces of my own mind.

Our third friend was happier because both his friends were together, I didn’t know what to do, or who to talk to. Those two had started dating not long after she denied me a chance, I wonder if their new relationship could work, after all he tried to date every woman we found. For how long can he pretend he liked her from the beginning? We know it wasn’t that way.

That day I felt I was no more than a bitter rightful heir to a fortune, with a huge family and a mother that was the powerful leader of a bunch of goons that had the city eating on their palm. Even though I tried to work hard on retrieving evidence against her, not even my sister wanted to give me a hand and that infuriated me. Our brothers were murdered by that woman to keep all the fortune of my father for herself, the flames that engulfed them left marks on my body. The scars were a daily reminder of what I need to do.

I was also rejected in a different way by my own sister a month before, when I told her the truth about our brothers’ deaths and she chose to turn her back on me and ignore the last request of our older brother, revenge. I was heartbroken a month before, but not that day.

Self-pity was exactly what I was feeling, and it felt so stupidly pathetic that I couldn’t stay at the Ren manor. Although I had a working plan going, I felt like I was drowning in spitefulness, I was still focused on my victory over Gyokuen but I also felt discarded. I dressed up quickly and left, I needed air and I needed escape, not only from all the problems that surrounded me, but from myself.

As I drove through the streets on my motorcycle, I was so deeply distracted by these thoughts plaguing my mind, that I didn’t notice that a familiar black car stopped next to me on a red light. I jumped in surprise when the horn rumbled on the quiet street.

“Hakuryuu!”

I turned to see on my side and there he was, one of my mother’s pawns, the one that had been oddly supporting my plans of getting that woman into jail after all the crimes she had committed. I cursed silently meeting him in that weak moment, when I lifted the screen on my helmet, I watched his smiling face and the enthusiastic wave of his hand.

“We should go somewhere and hang out! I am terribly bored!”

 _Bored,_ I thought, _Funny._ How in the world could _he_ be bored at all? He had everything a man could wish for, he had money, a bunch of crazy pointless talents, he had the looks, plenty of girls who groveled at his feet and no worries on his mind.

Judar had tried to get me into the mafia life since we were younger. Whereas I thought he wanted to recruit me, he was actually trying to sabotage my mother from the inside of the Organization. I never knew until recently that her methods made his life a living hell since he was a little boy, only to make him the perfect weapon. He came to my side and offered a hand when everyone had left me, just a few minutes after my sister left me a lonely mess in the rain. I know my mother will never see coming that the person she trained to be her number one henchman ended up working with me.

But that day I had been alone, like I was for the past week and I had nothing to do on a Saturday night. All I had was the smile of a bored hitman.

“What were you planning to do, Judar?”

“I know a karaoke bar on the main street, come on, it'll be fun!”

I bit my lip trying to find an excuse to run away, I was just not in the mood for partying in my sorry state, it was embarrassing to say the least. I looked into his blood-red eyes, expectant and sparkling, I always questioned his motives to appear so joyfully excited when I am around.

“Okay, but I won’t be for too long. I have… Things to do later”

“Of course, always so busy! Follow me, I’ll lead the way.”

He cackled loud and the engine of his luxurious black convertible purred, ever so spoiled Judar had an expensive taste. I drove after him through the city, repeating myself what a bad idea it was to follow him, we should’ve been working that week but my sulking moment had taken too long. Judar parked slowly in a bright establishment with neon lights, I parked on the tail of the car and hopped off. He leant an arm casually on my shoulders as we walked, my eyebrows shot up.

“Why are you so friendly all of a sudden?”

“Always so stiff! Come on, we are partners in crime!”

I couldn’t argue with him, it would take me nowhere, so I just walked along with his weight on my side.

We entered the place and the music poured from everywhere, some people were standing on their tables with the microphone, singing at the top of their lungs. I wasn’t sure if I could do the same, but I never hold back from a compromise, even less if it was with Judar. He had been doing nothing but behave loyally and supportively with me. So I was standing in the middle of colorful dancing lights, loud music and drunk people on tables even when my head was a mess of gloom. Judar took me by the arm and dragged me to a table on a secluded booth with a screen and a microphone in the middle, he smiled at me again and started to sing along with the tune.

The song kept on and he sang with glee, moving his shoulders with the music. I ordered some snacks and a couple of drinks, nothing to hard, I never could handle alcohol very well. Not that I blacked out or anything, but I started crying awkwardly after a while. So I requested a beer for me and a Captain Anne Bonnie for Judar, it was an obscure cocktail, so I wrote the recipe on the coaster and gave it to the waitress - who bowed politely and left the room, closing the door behind her.

When Judar’s drink arrived and he tasted it, he smiled so happily I had to turn away a little in embarrassment.

“What the hell is this magic?! It's so good!”

“Muddled nectarine, lime, cynar, rum and peach liqueur.”

“So you don't only hold information from Al-Thamen, but also about me?” Judar cackled. Actually I did, every single piece of information about all those gunmen was vital and important, worthy to be used in the future. Except it wasn’t on my past plans to buy thug superstar himself a drink that wasn’t drugged for interrogation purposes.

“You are from Al-Thamen as well,” I informed.

“I am not though!”

“You are their executioner.”

“Were!” Judar corrected, “now I'm team _Revenge is a dish best served cold_.’

“Frozen by this point.” I sighed.

“Frozen stuff is great! Look at all the frozen goodies: ice cream, shaved ice, sorbets, ice popsicles-”

I rolled my eyes while Judar listed every frozen dessert ever, but laughed a little regardless. The beginning of a song started and Judar left his half bitten skewered chicken on the plate, jumping off his seat to grab the microphone.

“This is my jam! Put it in your mental database rolodex, Hakuryuu!”

Black Sun. Noted.

We had some more food and a couple of drinks.  A song we both liked hit the place and I dared to sing quietly, Judar pulled me from my seat and wrapped his arms around my shoulder again, placing the microphone between us.  As I sang with him - still a little embarrassed, I felt my worries and tribulations leaving with the notes. We searched together the songs we liked, and I found out that our tastes in music were surprisingly similar.  We tuned songs of what Judar called the ‘Frozen Team Party Playlist’ and sadness was rapidly washing off my system.

I finally told myself the struggle with my group of friends and my sister wasn’t meant to be, as some things are not meant to… Never, but still you cling to them as a lifesaver in the middle of the sea without noticing there’s a boat nearby.

I was skimming through the list on the small screen to play the next song when I heard Judar whine “I don't want you to go.”

“Who said I was leaving?”

“You did. Weren't you busy?” Judar’s eyes widened.

“Well… it's nothing I can't do tomorrow…” I muttered the last words, “If ever.” Yeah, wallow in a ‘woe is me’ loop could wait. It was more important that the _Frozen Team_ got what they wanted.

“Whoopee! Hashtag YOLO! Hashtag Frozen Team Party!” He took a selfie of us while yowling.

I chuckled shaking my head, that guy was really out of his mind, but it wasn’t in a bad way. He seemed so genuinely happy that I tapped a random song, grabbed the microphone and started singing again. With some alcohol in my system, my behavior was so silly that made Judar start screaming in laughter.

We went through the list, singing and indulging in the music. I had never really danced with anybody before, but I did it that day - even if what we were doing on that booth couldn't be called dancing. We were singing and moving around like spastic monkeys in a cage, me jumping and Judar slamming his whole side against mine.

My throat had an itch from my hard laughter, and I had a large drink of beer that soothed it lightly, that’s when noticed I was laughing instead of crying after six beers. That was a first.

There he was, Judar, standing next to me, his arm was over my shoulder. The less indicated person, and the least suspected. He looked at me behind red eyes as his other hand placed softly on my shoulder, wrapping me in a sort of embrace, and I smiled, truly smiled after so many days. Judar seemed satisfied with it cause his eyes got brighter.

“Rubies.” I said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Your eyes look like rubies.”

Judar was startled, looking at me like if I just turned to a talking alpaca.

“What?” I chortled, amused by his reaction.

He shook his head, “nothing- You are drunk.”

“I am not drunk, I am tipsy. And what does that have to do with you having shining red eyes?”

“Nothing…” he let go and instantly I felt alone again. Judar skipped through the list. “Let’s sing another one. Oh, this! I love this band! The GazettE? You chose my favorite song.”

“We should go to the concert in Yokohama, it’s next month.” I offered.

“Are you serious?! YES!”  Judar rejoiced.

“I will get us some VIP tickets.”

“Are there other kinds?”

We laughed hard and I started bending from the stomach ache that gave me all the spasms.

“Also I want to meet them backstage, do buy those.” Judar cooed.

“You spoiled child.”

“Crying baby.”

“Lazy fuck.”

“Bitch!”

“Classy, where did you learn that from? Kindergarten?”

“Nah! From your _mom_!”

We locked eyes for one second and started laughing like maniacs, our bodies twisting and trying to grab onto something. I had to sit down before I collapsed, Judar was hooting with his head between his legs as if he was about to throw up.  

“Let’s not do that again… It hurts.” He gasped.

“Yeah.” We looked at each other’s eyes and started laughing again, more tears were now running in my cheeks. “Stop! Stooooop!”

“Ahahahah… You- haha… -First..Haha.”

After a few attempts of calming the fuck down we could settle in the couch, panting loud, and still stifling some sniggers. Our shirts had lost a few buttons and my jacket was sliding down from one shoulder. The bun on my hair had started to loosen up a bit and a few strands wet with sweat stuck on my cheek. We took long swigs of soda to cool down our throats, the night was young after all. I looked at my watch blinking blue LED lights that read 02:18, maybe not that young.

Judar looked at me intently, perhaps wondering if I wanted to leave. I stood up and informed him I had to go to the toilet and asked if he could order another round for me and a peach parfait to share. This apparently cheered him up, as he nodded merrily and called the waitress. When I was in the bathroom, I could comb my rebel strands into submission. Also, straighten up my jacket, flattening my shirt and tucking it inside my pants. For some reason I started caring once more how I looked and feeling conscious of my body, I checked my breath and my scent once and decided it was good enough to go.

When I walked back to the booth Judar was also buttoned up and his braid tightly tied up again, he leaned casually in the couch with our drinks in the table and a spoonful of parfait in his mouth.

“Looking slick.” He said, swallowing soundly.

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I am not! You always manage to look so sharp even in your bad moments! How the fuck does _anyone_ do that?”

I felt heat rising to my face, he couldn’t possibly be saying such things to me. Him? Flawless-looking guy? What the actual hell. Maybe he was so complimentary cause I was his boss by then.

“Are you going to share that?” I pointed at the parfait.

Judar sunk the spoon on the decadent white cream and he took pieces of strawberry and peach to go with it, he offered it. I was going to take the spoon when he said. “Say aaah.”

“Ah?”

He shoved the spoon on my mouth and I grabbed what I could, I closed my eyes and nodded in satisfaction. “Mmmh, good.”

When my commentary met silence I opened my eyes, Judar was looking at me with utter concentration.

“What?” I said rising a brow.

“Very good isn’t it?” he smeared the rest of the cream in my nose.

“Judar! I just groomed myself!” I cleaned my face with a napkin hearing his chuckles once more.

A few minutes later, the parfait was gone and Judar had rescued until the last goop with his finger and suckled it afterwards. I stretched on the couch and our shoulders were leaned on one another, we started skipping through the list and we hit a song that we found, it fitted us perfectly. We were sitting this time, Judar grabbing the microphone between us and we sang a perfectly synced duet.

_Nikushimi wa kienai sono hito wo kesu made wa_

_Kono urami wo harasu tame nara ochitemo kamawanai_

_Into The BLACK_

We were singing close enough to feel him way too much inside my personal space, I would have pull away if the feeling was uncomfortable, but it was welcomed and I didn’t fought it. Not long after the song died out, a ringtone sounded on Judar’s pocket. He glanced the picture on the screen and turned the call off, frowning and rolling his eyes.

“Who’s that?”

“Some random girl that got my phone from an Al-thamen’s minion.”

“Oh, aren’t you going to answer?”

“Nope, I am not interested in the slightest”

“Too many girls for one you?”

“No girls for one me.”

“Really? Are you telling me of all those girls that always surround you, you see none? Why?” I grabbed my beer can, I needed a drink.

“I’m not interested in women,” when he smiled I felt myself choke on the beer, understanding immediately. I shouldn’t have assumed  - I was so clueless sometimes… I got nervous and ran a hand through my hair.

“So... you don’t have a… boyfriend or-?”

He beamed at me, “I am single.” His head tilted a little, as if he was lost in thought, “I didn’t know you were curious about my relationship status. You would know if you followed me in social media.”

“I am an old fashioned person, I don’t even have social media.”

“Well yeah, but can _Ikebana,_ calligraphy and tea ceremonies do this?” Judar scrolled through his Facebook wall and showed me a video of a singing band of kittens and puppies, which changed colors like disco balls.

“Uhm. No, I don’t think they can. Can your social media give you inner peace?”

“Not in a million years! But you don’t have inner peace anyway, so what’s the harm?”

“You’re right I don’t.” I chuckled and he started laughing.

“I will help you set your profile up tomorrow, after we drink two gallons of water and one of regret.”

“I’m not spared of this, am I?”

“Nuh-uh! After I’m done with you, you will be running a beautiful instagram of your chef level food.”

“I am still not getting the point.”

“Yeah but what is the point of being four hours sitting on your heels?”

“Touché.” I stood up and scrolled through the rest of the songs.

We started singing again like there was no tomorrow, and I couldn’t believe just that afternoon I was drowning in a glass of water. How something so simple and so unexpected like karaoke with Judar could change my mood just like a finger snap, I didn’t know.

I felt Judar nuzzling affectionately my shoulder with his forehead while he sang the last part of the song we were singing.

_Koe koroshite me wo fusaide yami ni oborete samayotte_

_eiri na kimi no koe wo mune ni…_

_subete wo yami ni_

I circled his upper back with my arm and he jumped backwards a little. I didn’t apologize, if he was entitled to cling to me whenever he saw fit I should have the same benefit, so I just kept him tightly held.

“I didn’t know you were a good singer.” I finally said.

Judar blinked twice and shook his head “I will take that compliment and give it back, who knew you had such lungs underneath?” He patted my chest and I giggled softly. He gave me a knowing wicked grin. “Ah! Master Ren Hakuryuu is ticklish?”

“Don’t you dare!” I warned, scowling but with a small smile tugging my lip.

“Oh I am _so_ daring!”

Judar started prodding and tickling the sides of my chest and I bursted out laughing “Y-y-you as-asshole! STOP!” So that night I did end up tearing up again, but not the way I usually did. My abdomen was sore as if I had done one thousand sit ups.

“I am going to interrogate you Al-Thamen style. Ancient chinese torture. Now for the last time, where did you put the cookies you baked last Tuesday?!”

“I- I-” I hiccuped a laughter, “I threw them away, hahaha, the ants infested the cookie jar.”

“Ultimate crime! How could you?! Never throw away your delicious pastries! You should have given them to me! You will pay for this!”

He seemed distracted by the upset that caused him knowing my chocolate covered cookies were gone, so I grabbed his arms, pounced him to the couch and started tickling him in return.

“Hahahaha. No! No! Hak-Hakuryuu stop! Hahahaha. Please!”

“So now you beg, huh? I am stronger than you, what were you thinking attacking me like that?”

“Aghhh! Truce, truce, truuuuuuuce!”

My fingers dug relentlessly on his sides and hips. Judar bawled so loudly the waitress took a glance inside the booth. What - I imagine - she saw, was two drunk idiots tickling each other in a very inappropriate position. When we saw her reaction we only laughed more. She excused herself and closed the booth with a serious case of second hand embarrassment in her face.

I inhaled deeply and understood we were getting too out of our minds, so I pushed up and offered a hand to Judar, who took it and helped himself up. I saw the next song still going on the screen and pointed out my last thought before I forgot it.

“But seriously, you sing very well, you could consider being an artist when we’re done with the _Nure-Onna_.”

“Whatever you tell me to do, you’re the boss now.”

“Will I still be the boss when Gyokuen is behind bars?”

“You will still be the boss after the witch’s _death_.” Judar smirked.

“I like what you’re implying.” I whispered in confidence, mirroring his gesture.

“Hmmm, I knew you would. We are two sides of the same coin after all,” Judar’s eyes lidded like a pleased cat, and then he chortled. “But let’s not talk about business today. Let’s just relax, we have time to spare.”

As the night passed by, the music boomed around us and I felt myself cheering up a little more if possible. I got drunk not on the beers that kept coming to the table, but more so on the exhilaration Judar emanated. Apparently letting myself go by his side seemed easier done than said.

It was past four and the karaoke was getting less noisy on the outside.

“We are drunk.” He stated dryly, chugging a bottle of water to numb the alcohol.

“Not that drunk. Drunk enough to avoid driving and call a taxi. Sober enough to be conscious of what we’re doing,” I took the bottle from his hand and took a long swig.

He looked at me with a serious face I hadn’t seen him in a while. “Are you fully aware of what you’re doing?”

“What do you take me for, gangster? I wake up daily at four hours and run a mile, practise kendo, ‘sit on my heels’ - as you call it - for four hours, cook, meditate and study until midnight. My lifestyle is so demanding this is literally nothing.”

Judar gave a little smile, “Oh, I know your schedule, alright? You fucking savage. But good to know you’re still a superhuman bastard after almost twenty beers. That way, if you’re coherent right now you will be fully aware and you’ll remember tomorrow.”

I was about to ask what he meant by that when a slow rhythm hit the speakers, and I heard his voice closer to me.

_Kiite sekaijyuu ga ayamachi ni kegareteite mo_

_Kimi e tsunaida te wa itsumademo hanasanai kara_

_Soredake wa shinjite ii yo_

His eyes were shadowed by his black hair, but I could see something different, something I’ve never seen before in his expression. When did we got so close? I frowned slightly, questioningly and then I froze when the pad of his fingers ran on my short hair from the side of my ear my nape, I could feel a chill in my spine, as if I knew what was coming…His nose slid against mine and in a split of a second his lips were in mine.

I blinked once and realized my breath stopped for a moment, in that small lapse of time I thought that kiss was wrong, but it felt… just right. Like if it was meant to be.

Like the moment when you find something you didn’t know you had been looking for.

Everything around disappeared: the table, people, music, friends family, even Gyokuen. I received the kiss more blissfully than I ever thought possible as my arm wrapped around his waist.

When he opened his eyes again, I knew there was no turning back, and it didn’t matter what could happen that day, or the next. I knew what was my new reason to be. Something switched inside me that night, something got trapped in his ruby eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Ikebana - Japanese art of flower arrangement.  
> Nure-Onna - Evil yōkai, a seprent's body with a woman's head.
> 
>  
> 
> First song: Ryōhei Kimura and Kenshō Ono. -Into the BLACK (You all know this song. And I put it cause I like to go meta)
> 
> Hatred won't disappear until I erase that person  
> I won't let go of this malice, I don't care even if I fall  
> Into The BLACK
> 
> (Come on, I know it's clichè and oh so cheesy, but I had to. Judar and Hakuryuu singing this song is mandatory in a fanfic of them singing.)
> 
> Second song: Dir en Grey - Kodou
> 
> Kill the voice. Close your eyes. Drown in the darkness. Roam around.  
> I keep inside your keen voice...  
> All in darkness
> 
> Third song: L’Arc an Ciel - My dear
> 
> Listen, no matter if the whole word is corrupted by sin  
> I will never let go of this hand that ties me to you  
> You can trust me on this one thing
> 
> (Anyone else have the headcanon that these two would like J-Rock? No? Alright, I’ll roll away now, bye bye.)


End file.
